Russia re-evaluating return of Egyptian potato imports
Published on 22/02/2017
Russia is considering lifting its ban on Egyptian potato imports put in place during late September 2016.
While the ban was partially overturned on 26 September 2016, potatoes are still subject to a Russian embargo.
Inspectors from Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s food safety governing body, are expected to visit Egypt during October-November 2016. Here, they will assess the effectiveness of measures adopted to ensure Egyptian potatoes meet Russian import standards. Protocol for export of potatoes to Russia by Egyptian producers will also be examined.
Potatoes were banned, alongside all other Egyptian fruits and vegetable varieties, after a dispute over wheat import regulations. Russia reportedly disagreed with Egypt’s decision that all wheat imports should not contain any ergot fungus.
The issue has subsequently been resolved after discussions between both governments.
Egypt is one of Russia’s largest suppliers of agriproducts. In 2015, the North African country shipped 522,000 tons of fruit and vegetables to Russia. 370,000 tons of these exports were citrus fruits.
Source:
Freshplaza.com